The Hungry Hen

THAI BEEF SALAD

This is the perfect main course salad: it’s fresh and tangy and a very well balanced meal. I couldn’t (for the life of me) manage to get an attractive photo, but trust me this one turned out pretty good!

Beef Fillet, thinly sliced

1 head Boston lettuce

2 Green Chili Peppers (deseeded)

1 Mandarin

Handful of Cilantro

Handful of Mint Leaves

2 Spring Onions

1 tbsp toasted Sesame Seeds

Handful of Toasted Peanuts

For the Dressing/Marinade:

1 tbsp Minced Ginger

1 tbsp Minced Garlic

½ cup Sesame Oil

3 tbsp Rice Vinegar

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tbsp Honey

Juice of 2 Limes

I chose to make this because we have some leftover beef fillet, it was on the overcooked side, so I marinated in the dressing for over an hour to tenderize it. If you’re starting with a raw fillet, just let it sit in the marinade for about 30 minutes then throw it on the grill to get it just medium (pinkish red on the inside). Let it sit for a while, then cut into very thin slices using a sharp knife.

Prep the ingredients for the salad: Finely slice the chili peppers & spring onions. Peel and separate the mandarin slices, wash and tear the lettuce, cilantro and mint leaves. Toss all of these ingredients in a large bowl then transfer them to your serving dish.

In a small pan, toast the peanuts with a pinch of brown sugar (about 5 minutes), keep an eye on these you want them to just get a toasted color.

Layer the slices of beef on top of the salad and sprinkle on some sesame seeds and roasted peanuts, then drizzle the dressing on top.

8pm

A very good reason to keep on blogging. So grateful for this awesome feedback from my favorite blogger of all time, the Happy Box’s awesome penguin http://thehappybox.tumblr.com/

The recipe she’s referring to is the CITRUS MUSTARD CHICKEN 

9am

BLACK RICE SALAD

You could prepare this with wild or brown rice, but this was the first time I bought black rice and it worked really well (has a lovely chewy texture!)

1.5 cups Black Rice (or wild rice)

2 tomatoes

3 spring onions

Handful of Cilantro

1 cup Corn Kernels

1 cup Snap Peas

For the Dressing

Juice of 1 Lemon

3 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Start by cooking the rice in 1.5 cups of boiling water, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, prep the remaining ingredients. Dice the tomatoes, finely slice the spring onions, pick, wash and chop the cilantro. I used canned corn for this recipe, if you have fresh corn then you’d want to cut that of the cob and cook them in some boiling water until just tender. Transfer all these ingredients into a large bowl and keep cool in the fridge.

Next, drop the snap peas into a small pot of boiling water and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Drain and wash with cold water to stop from cooking. Chop in half, then add them to the bowl with the remaining ingredients and keep cool in the fridge.

When the rice is ready (make sure it’s al dente and still has a bit of a bite), using a fine strainer, drain off any excess water and wash with cold water to prevent it from cooking any further with carry over heat or steam. Put the rice in the fridge for 10-15 minutes until its has totally cooled down, then mix it with the remaining ingredients and stir in the dressing.

2pm

COUSCOUS PILAF WITH CARROTS & RAISINS

This is one of those “wing it” dishes that was born out of limited pantry/fridge resources and the desire for something other than rice as a side dish. It’s very light with simple flavors that goes well as a side dish with roasted chicken, or a pan seared salmon fillet.

½ red onion (finely diced)

1 large spring onion (finely sliced)

1 cup raisins

2 cups fine couscous

2 carrots (cubed)

Handful of Parsley (finely chopped)

1 tsp minced fresh Ginger

2 Garlic cloves (minced)

1 tsp all spice

1 tsp Lemon Zest

Salt & Black Pepper

2 tbsp Olive Oil

Prep your veggies: finely dice the red onion, peel & mine the garlic & ginger, finely slice the spring onion (separating the green and white parts) and finely chop the garlic. Cut the carrots into small cubes then add to a pot of boiling water and cook for about 3-5 minutes until just tender. Drain and rinse under some cold water to stop the cooking process, then set aside to cool.

Next, sauté the red onion, the white bits of the spring onion, garlic and ginger in about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, seasoning with the all spice (or 7 spice blend) in a small pot. Cook for about 3-5 minutes until fragrant. Add 2 cups of Chicken (or beef or veggie) broth and bring to a boil. Add 2 cups of couscous, with a pinch of salt and black pepper, cover and remove from the heat. Keep covered for about 5 minutes, then remove the lid and fluff with a fork.  Add the raisins, carrots, parsley, green part of the spring onions and lemon zest and mix it all into the couscous.

Garnish with some pistachios, almond slivers or toasted pine nuts.

If you have leftovers the next day, this would make for a great couscous salad. Add bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, arugula and maybe some feta cheese!

10am

ARMENIAN BULGUR SALAD

A delicious little concoction! Next time I think I’d rather try fine bulgur, which would require less cooking time. It’s a delicious side with some grilled shish taouk (chicken skewers) or lamb kababs, but just as good solo!

2 cups medium Bulgur

4 Tomatoes (diced)

1 tbsp Tomato Paste

2 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses

1 green Chilli Pepper (deseeded & thinly sliced)

1 Small Red Onion (finely diced)

2 Spring Onions (finely sliced)

Handful of Parsley (chopped)

Pomegranate Seeds

For the Dressing

2-3 tbsp Olive Oil

Juice of 1 Lemon

2 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses

Pinch of Salt & Pepper

Start with all the prep work: finely dice the red onion and tomatoes, transfer half of them to a large bowl and reserve the other half for cooking. Finely slice the spring onions and pick & chop the parsley leaves, transfer these to the bowl as well, and add the pomegranate seeds – keep in the fridge. De-seed and finely slice the green chili pepper.

In a small hot pot, add a light drizzle of olive oil and start by sautéing the red onions for a couple of minutes, then add the tomato paste and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Next add the diced tomatoes (just the half that you reserved for cooking!) and the chili peppers and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until they’re just wilted and the juices start running. Add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil then add the bulgur. Mix it all in, bring back to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, keep covered and allow the bulgur to continue to cook with the steam for another 10 minutes. Take a little taste to make sure you have good texture (you want the bulgur cooked but with a tiny bite, as it will continue to soften while it cools down). If your using fine bulgur, you’ll only need about 3 minutes of simmering and another 5-7 minutes covered, and if your using large (rough) bulgur then just simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool down to room temperature.

When it’s cooled down, transfer the bulgur to the bowl with the remaining cold ingredients. Mix in all the dressing and serve cold or at room temperature (let it sit a bit with a dressing to get more flavor).

4pm

TANGY CABBAGE SALAD WITH SUMMAC

My mom’s housekeeper Juvita (one of my favorite people in the world) is a 65 year old energetic Philippina on the outside, and 75 year old Lebanese cook on the inside – which makes for an amazing combination.  While she pulls off some highly complicated cuisine (and even makes little radish and tomato flowers), I always loved having this very simple salad that she liked to make for us.

½ Head of Cabbage (Shredded)

2 Tomatoes (chopped)

2 tsp Summac

Handful of Parsley (chopped)

Handful of Pomegranate Seeds

For the Dressing

Juice of 1 Lemon

1 tbsp Apple Vinegar

2-3 tbsp Olive Oil

Thinly shred the cabbage, chop the tomatoes and finely chop the parsley then transfer all to a large bowl. Add the pomegranate seeds and sumac then toss with the salad dressing and serve!

11am

PASTA WITH GROUND BEEF & GARLIC YOGURT

My friend Ghada made this for me one night in Beirut and as she was cooking it just sounded like a really odd  (I’ll just say it: weird) combination. Apparently it’s a pretty common comfort food dish in Syrian households, and luckily it’s so easy to prepare, delicious and filing!

½ kg Ground Beef

1 large white onion

Handful of Parsley

1 tbsp All Spice

1 cup Pine Nuts

2-3 cups Yogurt

3 cloves of Garlic (crushed)

1 tsp Summac

1 Bag Pasta Shells (small shells)

To get the easy prep out of the way, crush the garlic cloves and mix them into about 2-3 cups of plain yogurt, stirring it very well until it has a smooth consistency, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a hot pan toast about 1 cup of pine nuts (I like it extra pine-nutty); simply heat over the stove, tossing constantly until the pine nuts are golden brown (careful, these go from toasted to burnt very easily so remove them from the pan to prevent burning).

In a large hot pan, add a light drizzle of olive oil and start by sautéing the onions until they are translucent and fragrant (about 5 minutes). Add the ground beef (crumble it in with your finger so it doesn’t go in clumpy) and season with salt, pepper and all spice. Continually stir the meat over medium-high heat breaking it up, cooking for about 15-20 minutes until the meat is well browned and cooked through. Stir in a handful of freshly chopped parsley & toasted pin nuts and remove from heat.

When the meat is almost ready, go ahead and boil the pasta (add to a boiling pot of water, and add a lot of salt and a tiny drizzle of olive oil). Cook for about 12 minutes or so (until al dente) then strain.

When all these components are ready, prepare a nice serving dish (or serve into individual portion bowls). Start with a layer of pasta, top it with a generous serving of the ground beef, add a layer of yogurt to coat it all and garnish with some pine nuts and a bit of chopped parsley.

1pm

FATTEH WITH MEAT & CHICKPEA SAUCE & GARLIC YOGURT

Fatteh is one of the classic dishes from the Levant region that comes in so many different options: Chicken & yogurt fatteh, Chickpea & yogurt, Eggplant and the list goes on. Growing up, our housekeeper Nourah used to make the best fatteh ever, and this is how I remember it.

¾ kg Lamb or Veal Cubes

2 Cans Crushed Tomatoes (or diced)

1 tbsp Tomato Paste

1 large Onion (diced)

2 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses

1 can Chickpeas

2 pieces of large Pita Bread

3 cloves of Garlic (crushed)

2 cups yogurt

½ cup Pine Nuts (toasted)

Handful of Parsley (chopped)

Start by prepping the ingredients for the sauce. In a small pan, start by adding a drizzle of olive oil and cook the diced onions for a couple of minutes until they’re fragrant. Next, add the beef cubes, season with black pepper & all spice and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until slightly browned on the outside and juices start to run through. Add 1 tbsp of tomato paste and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes, season with salt and a pinch of cinnamon and stir together. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the sauce is cooking you can prepare the rest of the components.

For the yogurt: simply transfer the yogurt to a bowl and add about 1 tbsp crushed garlic and mix well. Keep in the fridge till you’re ready to serve.

Go ahead and toast the pine nuts as well and set aside to cool (all you need to do is put them in a hot pan and toss them around, keep a close eye because these go from toasted to burnt very quickly). Chop the parsley as well and set aside to use for garnish.

Finally prepare the bread. Cut about three large rounds of pita bread into bite sized squares. For the heavier version, deep fry the bread and lay it out on some paper towel to soak up the excess oil. For a lighter version, you can just toss the pieces of bread with a light drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and bake them in the oven till their crispy (here I did a combo of both).

When the sauce has thickened, drain 1 can of chickpeas and rinse well, then add them to the pot with 2 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses, and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

When all these ingredients are ready, start by putting a layer of bread to cover the base of your serving dish. Next, ladle on a healthy serving of the sauce to coat the bread. Then add a generous layer of the yogurt on top of that, and finish it off by garnishing with the pine nuts, pomegranate seeds and some chopped parsley.  Serve immediately!

4pm